Lend our front line NHS heroes a hand

S O here we are, week three of life being changed by Coronavirus.

For the last two weeks, this column has attempted to highlight the amazing things people are doing to help communities through this crisis.

The intention, when thinking about this column, wasn’t to do that again - after all, surely when so much good community spirit is in evidence, it soon becomes something of a norm, and taken for granted?

If that is what happens, then it hasn’t happened to this column yet - largely thanks to the most remarkably moving story I heard at the weekend.

Many people in Rossendale will have experience of the Royal Blackburn Hospital, and pretty much all of us will have experienced compassion and care from the staff at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, which runs both Blackburn the Burnley General Hospitals.

The heroics being displayed by all NHS workers right across the country is in evidence for all to see, and the Clap for the NHS moment last week was humbling.

But did you know that a group of NHS workers - including doctors and nurses - are actually living in motorhomes at the Blackburn hospital site during the Coronavirus pandemic?

An Oswaldtwistle-based motorhome hire company has lent the hospital trust 50 motorhomes so key medical staff can remain on site.

One of the hospital’s car parks is now essentially a motorhome site, with the idea being that staff can get rest without running the risk of infecting families at home.

Another company has installed a water tank on the car park, while a Blackburn company is providing toilet roll and kitchen towels are coming from a pub in Oswaldtwistle

What a remarkable thing to happen - but behind it is a heartbreaking reality it is really important for the wider community to understand.

Emma Carter, who owns Priory Rentals, said: “Our NHS staff are on the front-line against coronavirus and deserve all the support they can get.

“Many of them can’t go home if they have family members self-isolating. The motorhomes give them somewhere to rest and put their heads down on site when they come off shift.”

We know our medics are putting themselves in harm’s way during this pandemic, helping to keep the death toll as low as possible.

But imagine doing that and then not being able to go home to relax, take and break and catch up with family.

The emotional toll must be huge. If it were possible to be even more impressed by our NHS workers, then surely this story is the one to do it.

There’s stuff we can all do to help as well. While the government has promised the NHS all the money it needs to tackle Coronavirus, the local NHS trust has a charitable arm which collects money for a range of initiatives in the hospital.

ELHT&Me is raising money to help our NHS Heroes during this time - helping to fund things like care packages and things which make working life a little bit more bearable.

The prime minister has warned things will get worse before they get better - and our NHS Heroes will be the people who see that first, and have to deal with it.

If you can help, the website to visit is: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ThankyouNHS